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in itto’s eyes, he only considered thoma a friend.
he enjoyed being in thoma’s presence, seeing the beaming light shining from his grin as he discussed with the group his dinner last night or the last lecture he attended, but he could never muster up the courage to talk to him alone. perhaps it was because by that point itto’s social battery was on the verge of dying, and holding up a conversation on his own with the human embodiment of positive energy that is thoma was not something itto could do without some time to mentally prepare.
not only this, but for some reason, itto always felt his vitals change when he was around thoma. perhaps he was low on iron, or needed to try some of the vitamins ayato suggested to him in their last study session, because every time he was around thoma, itto felt as if he was going to pass out. his legs would shake, his heart would race, and he struggled to form coherent sentences. it all made ayato laugh, but itto had to remind the politics student that this could very well be a serious medical condition (it wasn’t…but itto still managed to convince himself otherwise).
maybe if he was able to get to the doctors before this unsuspecting thursday night, he would’ve had a bottle of medication and he could put his troubles behind him.
yet, of course before he could get an appointment booked, kaeya just so happened to suggest playing 7 minutes in heaven.
and of course the bottle of fate just happened to land on itto himself and thoma.
the earth sciences student glanced over and saw how albedo clinged to kaeya’s neck and began to pout, one leg draped over kaeya’s thigh. “i wish it could’ve been us, i’m jealous…” the chemistry student said, seeing kaeya drunkenly giggle at his boyfriend before kissing his forehead. the pair of them were known for being big drinkers on campus, and itto would be lying if he said that he wasn’t concerned for their livers.
“what, so you both can go in that cupboard and make out for seven minutes? you do that most of the time anyways!” beidou chuckled, nursing a glass of rum and coke in one hand whilst the other snaked around ningguang’s waist.
“don’t act like you don’t do the same thing!” kaeya chuckled as he pointed at the other couple, and it made beidou heavily blush.
anxiously, itto peeked over at thoma, who was drinking some lemonade quietly as he observed the crowd of friends bickering and laughing — well, at least it seemed like he was, but when itto stared closer, it was like he was deep in thought, which made itto’s stomach churn.
before he could even question what the cause of his internal pains were, he was being dragged out of the kitchen by hu tao and chucked into the janitor closet in kaeya’s hallway. thoma was pushed into his arms, and they were given one last wink from the brown haired girl before the door was locked on them.
“ you have seven minutes to do whatever you want! talk about your day, sort out any unresolved conflicts, make out — whatever you fancy! ”
once the silence had began to settle between them, itto looked down at the boy in his arms, seeing his cheeks beginning to fluster as he slowly realised their position. thoma quickly pulled away and apologised, cupping his cheeks as he tried to cool himself down. itto found it cute the way that thoma tried to hide his embarrassment, to the point where itto started to have the same blushing expression as the shorter male.
thoma had settled himself on the floor, leaning against the wall with his knees pulled up to his chest, and soon itto sat himself down beside him, leaving some space between them so the air didn’t become too suffocating in the tiny closet.
the silence in the compact room became slightly deafening, the tension between them lingering in the area like a bad scent. itto fiddled with his fingers as he tried his hardest to avoid eye contact, because one glance into the glistening emeralds in thoma’s eyes would have him pining deeper than before, mining his loving stare into the psychology student’s irises.
but he could almost hear thoma’s mind at work, the cogs in his head turning as he was desperate to fill the empty air with fulfilling words. it made itto feel bad. typically, he was good at starting conversations, and his pounding voice could always be heard through at least three walls; so now, with the earth sciences student’s lips basically sewn shut to stop himself from spewing love confessions, he had unintentionally forced his crush into silence, making him think of a half-interesting topic for them to grasp onto for seven minutes.
these minutes are going to feel like hours, aren’t they? itto thought to himself, the guilt bubbling in his stomach like a carbonated drink — if he had stayed silent for any longer, he would imagine the carbonation would bubble it’s way through his throat again like a volcano.
the psychology student finally looked up, and itto could feel the soft eyes drawing shapes into the side of his face. he forced back a blush as his heart made his blood race to all parts of his body. the fear in itto’s body made him go internally crazy; what if he hates itto? what if he’s too annoying for thoma? what if he confesses his love for ayato? the questions spiralled in itto’s brain as air passed through thoma’s lips, the spinning in his mind making him somewhat nauseous. he was spinning on a theme park ride, unable to stop as the cart sped up and caused his face to become painted with hot red flusters.
“you know,” thoma began, making itto gulp back a sound, “this situation - us being locked in a room and our actions being observed by outsiders - it kinda reminds me of this one study i learned about. it’s an conformity study…”
he hated to admit this; but itto’s biggest love and desire are men who are big fucking nerds.
men who are so passionate about their interests — whether it be computer coding or dungeons and dragons — he found it so incredibly attractive. seeing the joy light up their faces as they described each detail of their hobbies, their eyes glistening like the night sky as they opened their small world up to him, it made itto’s heart race and his mind go haywire.
so to see thoma, someone who was typically quite quiet and more of a supporting act to his best friends ayato and ayaka, talk excessively about one of his psychology studies (one that was quite disturbing to be honest — was this zimbardo guy really sane when he could conduct something like this?) made something in his head switch on. soon he was infatuated with thomas’s sweet voice, explaining each word and section of the study with passion spilling from his lips, and itto was drinking it all up like freshly squeezed juice.
but, he only saw thoma as a friend.
so why was his heart beating like he was running a marathon?
why was he getting sweaty and nervous like a small child performing in his first school nativity?
why was he thinking about holding thoma’s hand, listening to thoma’s soft vocals as they laid in a field of flowers under the setting sun?
the sparkle in thoma’s green eyes had him begging for more, and left him wanting to keep the jewels in a pendant so the psychology student could take his breath away at any time of day. itto would do anything to take thoma into his arms and hold him close, carding his fingers gently through thoma’s blond hair as he protected him from all that’s harmful in the world.
do friends do that sort of thing?
the blond noticed how the taller man was staring at him for an extended period of time, and started to become embarrassed, feeling his cheeks warm up underneath the sunlight radiating from itto’s smile (and god, itto could’ve melted from the adorable sight of thoma getting flustered).
“sorry…i rambled on for too long…” thoma muttered softly, pulling his knees closer to his chest as he tried to hide the obvious blush that had appeared on his face.
itto shook his head in reassurance, “no no, it’s okay…i think it’s kinda cute…”
“cute..?” the blond looked up, tilting his head slightly as he made a confused face, like a puppy trying to learn a new trick. itto wanted to just reach over and squish thoma’s cheeks like a piece of dough, because how could a man get any more adorable in such a short amount of time? “well, you know, i find you kinda cute too, itto.”
if itto’s brain hadn’t shortcircuited already, then this had just cut off the power to his entire head.
“what do you mean?”
“perhaps i’ve come to realise that i have a big crush on you… i can never find the right words to tell you, which is why i always seemed so quiet around you, but it’s better to tell you how i feel rather than leaving myself dying with the pain of such a crush.” thoma explained, slowly becoming more comfortable as he explained, resting his head upon his shaky hand (which itto wanted to hold so badly ). “you don’t have to reciprocate the feelings, we can still be friends, i just want you to know that i feel strongly for you.”
speechless, itto felt his jaw drop to the carpet as he felt his heart sync up to thoma’s, their bodies having become unintentionally closer to the point where itto’s hand was only a short walk away from the blond’s fingers. it was almost like a gravatational pull was drawing them closer together, the magnetic forces colliding as itto’s chest pressed against thoma’s own. the psychology student smelled like fresh sango and green tea - a combination that itto didn’t indulge himself in personally, but fitted thoma like a perfect glove. it was such a comforting scent with a hint of excitement, one that drew you in with small droplets until you become hooked on the taste.
that’s what itto’s emotions felt like since he started thinking more about thoma.
and now he started to realise … these feelings aren’t really something that occur between friends.
itto sighed, with his heart pounding in his throat, he admitted the truth to himself — he has a crush on thoma. a big, overwhelming crush that he had been masking as a friendship for a good few months at least. it had clearly been eating away at him for as long as he could remember, yet he was too oblivious to realise that these emotions were not just feelings of admiration for thoma, or thoughts of appreciation.
staring at thoma’s soft lips, shimmering gold from the slight cracks of the closet door, itto smiled, his body shaking from excitement and nervousness which mingling like drunkards in his veins.
“…i think … i think i feel the same way…”
the wave of red that crashed upon thoma’s cheeks was enough to make the earth sciences student want to collide their lips together and kiss until the sun rose again. the blond was definitely more confident than the taller boy, reaching his hand out to cup itto’s face and brush his thumb over each of the latter’s facial tattoos. the tall, muscular boy had been reduced to a mere ice cube, melting under the warm touch of thoma’s fingers as they skated across his skin whilst the blond’s eyes burrowed holes into itto’s skull.
itto leaned in, “would you like to…?”
thoma leaned closer, “i would love to.”
thoma’s arm slipped around itto’s neck as their lips met, softly moving in time as they pressed their chests together. itto’s hand moved to find thoma’s in the midst as he heard thoma hum into the kiss, intertwining their fingers as they slowly embraced each other’s affection. itto’s mind went numb as he could taste the love pouring from thoma’s lips, the soothing sensation of lemons dancing on his tongue. the taste would typically be off-putting and sour, yet thoma could make anything in his presence show its sweet side— just like itto.
the arm that had rested on his shoulders was now making its way down to itto’s waist, and each touch on his chest sent shockwaves through his body, causing his breath to hitch. the taller male could feel thoma edging to deepen the kiss, and the former decided to indulge in the blond’s desires. he tilted his head and brushed his free hand under thoma’s jaw, lifting it up and licking the latter’s bottom lip. thoma was pulling itto closer, pressing their bodies together and almost forcing the white-haired boy on his knees. the soft, subtle sounds escaping from thoma’s lips made itto’s heart pound loudly in his chest, begging to hear the melody dance in his mind again and again.
one last tug on itto’s shirt, and the boy found himself on top of thoma, lips still attached to the latter as his hands were positioned beside the blond’s head.
but, just as the white-haired boy could push his tongue into the blond’s mouth, and thoma could grip tighter onto the hem of itto’s shirt, a sudden movement caused the slight streak of gold to light up the entire room.
pulling apart, the pair looked at where the light had come from, and quickly crawled off of each other when they noticed their friends crowding around the door. the majority of them had agaped mouths, shocked in the most joyful way, all except for albedo, whose smirk made itto gulp back fear.
“you now all owe me twenty dollars.” he said nonchalantly, folding his arms across his chest as kaeya then began to whine and wrap his boyfriend in a bear hug whilst the others fished their wallets from their pockets. itto and thoma couldn’t even process what was happening, the flush of embarrassment was still rotting their brains as they shared the occasional glance.
thoma managed to stand first, offering itto a hand as he tried to look the other in the eyes without swooning to the floor again. “i was being serious, by the way. i really do like you, itto.” the psychology student spoke, and itto noticed the array of gems sparkling in thoma’s eyes now that new rays of light were caressing his irises.
he smiled as he held both of thoma’s hands gently, stroking the back of the blond’s palms with his thumbs. “then how about we try this again? maybe when we have a little more than seven minutes on our hands.”
thoma giggled as he listened to itto, and pecked the taller boy’s lips again quickly with a satisfied hum.
he’ll take that as a yes, then.